BT 8mbit MAX Specific Questions

My 8mbit BT MAX service has been enabled. Now what?

For the first ten days of your service BT will monitor the speed at which your modem/router is able to synchronise with your telephone exchange.

This will be taken at different times throughout the day so that BT can determine a maximum stable rate for your ADSL service. It is advisable to reboot your ADSL equipment once each day to force a log on BT systems to show that the line has maintained a steady sync speed.

Because of this your line may be slightly unstable for the first ten days.

Please note we cannot accept or log a fault with BT regarding your service within this first 10 day period unless service is lost completely or speeds drop below 288kbps.





What is my Maximum Stable Rate?

Maximum stable rate is the maximum stable line speed which BT have determined within the first 10 days of your service going live. This will be displayed in your members area

This is calculated from a number of factors including the qualitly of your telephone line and distance from your telephone exchange.

In basic terms it means the fastest speed your line can handle (Assuming all affecting conditions are perfect) before you encounter stability problems.



What is my Fault Threshold Rate?

Your Fault Threshold Rate is the lowest line rate you should get from the ADSL service.

Unless your line speed drops below the Fault Threshold Rate for a substantial period of time the line is deemed to be working within specification and a fault should not be reported.



My line seems slower then I expect?

For the first 10 days after your activation BT will be monitoring your line to determine a maximum stable line rate.
If you are within this 10 day period your line may be slower than you expect.
Reboot your ADSL broadband equipment and visit http://speedtester.bt.com where you can run a speed test of your line and it will also provide you with IP Profile information.




10 day monitoring period has passed and my line still seems slow.

If you are having issues then first thing you need to be looking at is your internal wiring and equipment that you own.

1. Have you the most up to date drivers/firmware on your ADSL equipment?

2. If you are using a wireless connection make sure it is not the signal is weak between the router and your computer.

Going on from here if this is not the issue then it is best to start examining the internal wiring.

3. Depending where your ADSL equipment is situated you will need to test the connection for improvement from the BT test socket. This is found behind the faceplate of the BT master socket and reason to why this should be used is to rule out interference from any other telephony equipment/wiring.


Master Socket with Faceplate removed and filter connected to BT Test Socket

Ensure that you have filters present at your end and that all the connectors are of a good condition. Use another filter to rule out that this is the issue and test with another router/modem.

You will need to test from this point for approximately 72 hours. The way Dynamic Line management works is it collates how your line performs over this period. If the line shows to be steady then it will then rate adapt you back up. If your line shows to be interleaved it will require a longer period of 10 days. This does not mean that you have a stuck profile but a line that may be problematic and fluctuate from time to time.

4. You check your speeds at http://speedtester.bt.com. If there is no further improvement, contact support and we will be happy to advise what to do next.



My modem/router is compatible with speeds over 2mbps but still it seems slow.

First check the speed that your modem has synchronised with your line.

Now run a speedtest. You can download our test file here. Select to save the file to your computer and you should see a transfer rate as the file downloads.
This is your download rate. Please note that this file is not intended to be opened. It's only use is to record your transfer rate.

Alternatively you can visit http://speedtester.bt.com where you can run a speed test of your line and it will also provide you with IP Profile information.





What is rate adaptive?

Rate adaptive means that your modem/router will synchronise at the fastest possible speed given depending on your line conditions and circumstances. The speed will adapt given any changes in line condition to ensure stability.

Please note if the quality of your line deteriorates your modem/router should automatically re-synchronise at a slower speed.

If the quality of your line improves you will need to reboot your modem/router to force it to re-synchronise at a higher speed. Then allow 72 hours for the Dynamic Line Management tool to update your profile. . If your line shows to be interleaved it will require a longer period of 10 days.